


Transcending Time

by RenegadeDM



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bisexual Female Character, Bisexual Sokka (Avatar), Bisexual Zuko (Avatar), F/M, Flashbacks, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Not Beta Read, Ozai (Avatar) is an Asshole, Reader-Insert, Spirits, Swearing, Zhao (Avatar) Is An Asshole
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-08-10
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:21:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25118323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RenegadeDM/pseuds/RenegadeDM
Summary: Sokka, Zuko and the reader are grad school roommates. Stay tuned for a quick initial burn, then a much longer one. Time skips ahead. I have no idea how to write a summary.On Hiatus for a few weeks. <3
Relationships: Sokka (Avatar)/Reader, Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), Zuko (Avatar)/Reader
Comments: 11
Kudos: 136





	1. 1

**Author's Note:**

> First ever work! This story is likely going to span a significant number of chapters, I have a lot written already.  
> Also, tags are hard, ya'll. 
> 
> Open to constructive criticism, this is first thing I've written that I'm proud of in about a decade.

“Gawddammit!!!!” The loud squawk that blasted out of Sokka’s room brought both you and Zuko out of your individual rooms. Your breath caught at the sight of Zuko’s long black hair piled haphazardly on top of his head in the messiest of man-buns. How in the hell he manages to still be so attractive in the midst of hair chaos was a mystery? 

If Zuko noticed your reaction, he didn’t say anything. Instead, he jerked a thumb down the hallway at the slightly ajar door. “Should we make sure he isn’t dead?”

Your lips twisted in something between a grimace and a smile. “Ugh, I suppose. I’d hate to have to report to the school that our roommate kicked off during winter break.”

Zuko chuckled as you moved past him, his amber eyes trailing down your back. The flowy work-out shirt revealed a strappy bra that was distracting enough, but the yoga shorts made him swallow. At least until you leaned the door open and snorted.

“Dude, you alive?”

A long groan was your answer, accompanied with the sound of maybe a head hitting something hard. “No. No, I’m not.”

Zuko leaned over your shoulder, definitely noticing the hitch in your breath when his hair brushed your ear. “You talk a lot for a dead man, Sokka.”

The tall Water Tribe man flipped Zuko off, bringing his head off the back of the chair and backing out to the main menu for Halo 5. “Stand by, friends. Roomies checking on me. Going off-mic for a sec.”

Sliding the headset off and remembering to mute it this time, thank you very much, Sokka rubbed his hands over his face and moaned. “I’m embarrassing myself on stream. Like, legit showing my ass in Warzone.”

You raised an eyebrow, ignoring the fact that Zuko hadn’t moved from his spot right.over.your.goddamn.shoulder. “10-year-olds keep beating you?”

Sokka’s blue eyes peeked out from between his fingers, a half-hearted attempt to glare at you. “Yes, Y/N. Thank you. Yes. The 10-year-olds are showing me up.”

You couldn’t help but smile at him. Sokka streamed a lot, and his gaming skills were a source of pride. Until today, apparently. “It’ll be ok, buddy. You’ll find your talent again; I think it probably ran off with my attention span.”

Before Sokka could retort, Zuko laughed. “Shacked up with my brain, I imagine. I’ve been working on the same form sequence for 2 hours, can’t seem to get it right.”

Sokka steepled his fingers under his chin for a moment, eyes narrowed in thought. An eyebrow quirked, then he stretched out a hand and unmuted himself, sliding the headset back on. “Question for you, friends. How do you feel about guest stars?”

Zuko stiffened, shooting a hand out. “Oh no, no no no. Fuck right on off with that shit. I’m not gaming on stream.”

You nudged him gently in the side with an elbow, murmuring, “Coward.” 

A lesser person would have wilted on the spot under the force of his glare (even with the gnarly scar mostly covering one eye,) but instead, all you wanted to do was plant a kiss on his mouth. For science…to see if it would make him relax. Yeah. Science.

Sokka waved you both off, making shushing noises at you while he scrolled through the comments. “Huh. I think this is the first time they’ve agreed on anything. They’ve been bugging me to get you two on-stream anyway. Can’t disappoint the people, right?!”

Rummaging around in a bin under his bed, Sokka pulled out two other controllers, holding them out to you both with the cutest hopeful look on his face. After a moment, you pounced on the red one, tossing the black to Zuko. Catching it in one hand, a heavy grumble rumbled out of his chest. “F.I.N.E. Fine. Ugh, why do I let you bait me into things?!”

Snort-laughing, you waved at him absently. “You should probably fix your hair, buddy. Might get in the way of the headset.”

Zuko set the controller on Sokka’s bed, reaching up and pulling the much-abused elastic out of his hair. The immediate waterfall of waist length black hair drew both your and Sokka’s attention immediately, identical swoops flipping around in your stomachs. You had an uncomfortable moment of realization when Zuko stretched his arms up and plaited his hair into a loose braid; there was no way he needed to stretch his torso out that far to braid his hair, any self-respecting t-shirt wouldn’t ride quite so far up his abs, and he KNEW he had a captive audience. 

“Show-off,” Sokka grumbled, his quip breaking the tension, but not wiping it away. 

As Zuko tied off the end of the braid, he flicked it at you. “Maybe you ought to take your own advice?”

Your jaw dropped. Sure, you had a lot of hair, and it was definitely doing its own thing today, with piles of loose, black curls floating down to mid-back. But it was mostly under control…well, ok. Maybe that was generous. “Sokka, do you happen to have a spare pencil?” 

The man in question gestured over toward the desk. At least, the general direction of the desk, as his head was hanging off the bed as he searched for his spare headsets. A couple movements later, and you had your hair wrapped around the pencil and secured, as well as the undivided attention of both men. 

“What sort of wizardry did you just do?!” Sokka asked, spinning you around to figure out just how a pencil could manage to hold back that much hair.

“A lady has to have some secrets,” you laughed, snagging a headset and plugging it into your controller. 

It took a couple extra minutes getting everyone settled to enjoy the game together. Luckily, Sokka’s TV was big enough that the 3-way splitscreen still afforded you each enough room to game effectively. You snagged a desk chair and plunked it down in front of the bed, kicking your feet up onto the desk that also served as a TV stand. Sokka raised an eyebrow and took up position on the bed behind her, just to your right. Zuko followed suit, but sat to your left and hooked up his own headset.

Sokka took a look at his stream settings, making sure that everything was set up for all three of you to be heard. “Ok, you’re live. Do you want to introduce yourselves?” he asked, leaning over and typing some quick messages into the chat.

Zuko sighed heavily, scooting back on the bed and bringing up a leg so he could rest his chin on a bent knee. Flopping his head over to look at the camera, Zuko gave a half-hearted wave. “Hi? I’m Zuko, and I have no fucking clue why I let these two get me into things.”

You reached back and hooked a hand behind his ankle, winking over your shoulder at him. Pleased to note the faint flush rise in his face, you turned back to the camera and grinned widely. “And I’m Y/N, their roommate.”

“Right. And the mods are patrolling,” Sokka warned. “So, don’t be dicks in the chat.”

The man of the hour turned back to the TV and flipped through the menus. “What are you two up for, Slayer? Warzone?”

Zuko shrugged, resting the controller on his socked foot. “I’m up for anything. I mean, I’m already here.”

“Warzone,” You voted firmly. “I suck at Slayers. Absolute garbage.” Bringing your hand back from Zuko’s ankle, you watched Sokka navigate the menus until the 3 of you were waiting in the queue for a heroic warzone. 

“Shit. Sokka, are our mics cued for game chat, or party chat?” You said, words tripping over themselves as your heart rate kicked up.

He raised an eyebrow and checked. “Party chat. Not live to the game. Why?”

“I haven’t had a hot mic in a game in years without knowing who I’m running with. Too many assholes being stupid about me having tits.” It was a simple enough statement, but you didn’t expect it to have the effect that it did. Immediately, the chat lit up with people both agreeing vehemently with you, and others stating bluntly that “guys don’t do that shit anymore. Stop exaggerating.”

Sokka rolled his eyes. “See, when I said ‘don’t be a dick,’ this is what I meant. Just fucking believe someone when they say they’ve been treated badly. It’s not that hard.” 

As the screen ticked over from the waiting room to the loading screen, you crossed your fingers, toes and hands and started repeating, “Don’t be the beach. Don’t be the beach. Please, spirits, don’t be the fucking beach.”

Haru03 popped up in the chat, asking, “What’s so bad about the beach? It’s a huge map!”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure that’s half the issue,” you grumble. “By the time you FIND the fight, it’s already over. Or, you spawn right in the middle of it and take an incinerator cannon to the face. Hard to live through that…I’ve been hurt. What do you want from me, Haru?”

The next few hours were spent in glorious pixelated bloodshed. There were many deaths, much delighted cursing, and the unavoidable agonizing defeat at the hands of three Wardens Eternal. Sokka’s chat audience gloried in ribbing the three of you, mostly kindly. The few jackasses that decided to pop off at the mouth were unceremoniously shown the exit, but by the end, the audience had grown to be one of Sokka’s most attended streams.

You stood up and stretched, spine popping deliciously. “Okie dokie, everybody, I’m signing off. Now that Sokka’s found his talent again, he can continue to entertain you without my help.” Dropping the gear back into the tub under Sokka’s bed, you waved at the camera. 

Sokka signed off with his traditional goofy grin, taking a moment to thank his mods and grumble under his breath about cheeky fuckers. “Eh, I was done anyway…” Sokka’s voice trailed off, and an awkward silence dropped over the three of you. The moment was broken when the pencil that had gainfully held back your hair throughout the intense hours of gaming finally gave up the ghost, hair tumbling down your back again.

“Do you guys want to stick around and watch a movie?” Sokka blurted out, putting his and Zuko’s controllers away then flopping back onto the bed. His heart was pounding in his chest and somehow he knew that this was one of those moments. The ones they always talk about in books, where paths diverge in the woods and shit.  
Most of the way to the door, you froze, butterflies dancing around in your stomach. Shit. Balls. Ass. I mean, yeah. Duh. Curling up on Sokka’s bed with him and Zuko sounded great. But…roommates. They’ve been the best roommates you’ve had, and now that you guys were all in grad school, it’s not like you wanted to rock the boat over a pair of stupid crushes. That, ya know, you’d had for a year. Or more. Again…shit. Balls. Ass.

“What do you have in mind, Sokka?” Zuko asked, the bed creaking as he apparently flopped back onto it. “No horror movies. I need to sleep tonight.” 

The bed creaked again and you heard Sokka’s feet hit the floor, padding over to the far bookcase that was overflowing with blu-rays. “Well, Lord of the Rings is always a strong choice…Blade Runner, Die Hard, Terminator, Galaxy Quest…”

You couldn’t hold back the smile, turning to look at Sokka and leaning against the closed door. “Sokka, for a 90s baby, your taste in movies is pretty ancient. There have been good movies made in the last 20 years, you know.”

Mock gasping, Sokka clapped a hand over his hard and sagged into the bookcase. “I’ve been wounded! How dare you insult my fabulous collection of classic films?!”

Zuko bounced his head off the bed a couple times, clearly done with everyone’s shit. “I vote Galaxy Quest or Blade Runner. Can’t go wrong with either.”

Amber and blue eyes flicked over to you, and the proverbial floor dropped out from under you. Not sure which man to look at, you settled for staring at the floor. Much safer.  
“Looks like the decision’s up to you, Y/N. Galaxy Quest or Blade Runner?” Sokka’s voice slid over you like caramel over ice cream. 

Well, hell. Not only did you need to get a grip, you were kinda stuck. There really were only a few options here…1. Pick a movie. End up in bed with them and do something ridiculously awkward and give yourself away. 2. Don’t pick a movie, make an awkward ass excuse and leave. Also, likely, giving yourself away. 3. Come clean, make it awkward. Run away. Potentially ruin everything. UUUGGGGHHHH. 

Your internal struggle clearly played out over your face, because Sokka pulled the two movies out, tossed them onto the bed and walked over to you. Gently laying a hand on your arm, he tugged on your wrist. “You ok? You zoned out there for a second.”

Glancing down at his fingers wrapping around your wrist, you felt your cheeks flush in spite of your brain begging your heart to put a lid on it. Spirits, he smelled good. Like sunshine and seawater. 

“Seriously, Y/N. Quiet isn’t your norm…” Shit. Now Zuko was sitting up on the bed, spearing you with eyes that always seemed to see right through your bullshit. 

“Umm…I…I don’t think the movie is a good idea,” you said softly, pulling your wrist out of Sokka’s grip. “You guys have fun, but I’ve got studying to do.”

Sokka’s brows lowered. “It’s winter break. Want to try again?”

Your heart cracked, the sting of tears sparking just behind your eyes. “Not really. I just don’t want things to get weird.” Now that you’d gotten started, the words tumbled out of your mouth. “You’re the best roommates I’ve ever had, and it would really fucking suck if things got weird. So, I’m gonna bow out.”

Before you could slip out the door and go die in peace, a hand shoved it closed again. Your forehead thunked against the solid wood and you groaned. “Seriously?”

You didn’t expect a hand to tangle in your hair and slowly turn you around. Zuko’s amber eyes were dark and stormy, and his expression took your breath away. Closed in by his hands, you had nowhere else to go, so you bit your lip and just…waited. And waited. After about 30 seconds of torture, you finally snapped.

“Spirits above, Zuko, my heart’s about to beat out of my chest,” you whispered. 

His eyebrow quirked. The hand buried in your hair slid down the back of your neck and around the front, two fingers pressing in gently on your pulse. “So it is,” he murmured, splaying his fingers around your neck. “Now, why would that be?”


	2. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Burn accomplished! Also, the first flashback? Zhao sucks. Ozai sucks. This is not news.

You gulped, feeling his fingers flex as you swallowed. Not something you thought you were into, but (holy hell) you were seeing the appeal right now. Flicking your eyes over to Sokka, who was standing with his arms crossed and an eyebrow quirked, you mutter, “Help?”

Looking from Zuko, to you, then back to Zuko, Sokka shrugged. “Nah…I think he and I both want to know why watching a movie together would make things weird.”

Spirits take them both. Or you. Either would do. Thumping your head back against the door, you sighed shakily. “Zuko, please let me go. I really, really don’t want to mess this up.”

Being the boundary respecting man that he was, he did. Zuko dropped a step back from you and mirrored Sokka’s body language. “Again…why would watching a movie with us mess anything up? Explain this to me like I’m 3, please. Cuz I’m not seeing it.”

Before you could thump your head on the door again, Sokka snuck a hand between your head and the hard wood. “Nuh uh. No more beating on yourself.”

Feeling his fingers cradle the back of your head was the final straw. Blowing out a shaky breath, you steeled your resolve and sighed. Heavily. “Fine. Fine! But when it gets weird, remember that you wanted this.” 

Your golden eyes drifted shut, all the easier to stomach rejection if you can’t see them be all horrified, right? “I’m half in love with both of you and sitting on a bed with you for an entire movie is just asking for me to get all painfully awkward about it. So, I’d like to just not! In fact, I’d like to leave now, and deal with the fact that my stupid heart is fucking everything up again.”

Sokka’s voice broke the encroaching silence first, quiet and calm. “Why would that fuck anything up?”

Your eyes flicked open and you stared at him, incredulous. “Because any time I catch feelings for someone, it inevitably ends terribly. Every time. Why would this be different?!”

Having one of them in your personal space was bad enough. Zuko stepping forward, dropping a forearm onto Sokka’s shoulder, was just too damn much. But that did seem to be something that they both seemed very comfortable with. Your brain short-circuited. 

“Maybe you hadn’t caught feelings for the right people before,” Zuko mused, sharing a look with Sokka that was filled with something you hadn’t seen before. 

You were quite sure that they were carrying on an entire conversation, silently. The cheek of these two. “Ssssoooo, this is basically what I was trying to avoid,” you grumble, waving a hand around the three of you. “This whole awkward, let’s dance around the topic, bullshit. I spilled my guts, now you two are acting fucking weird.”

Sokka half-turned to Zuko, shrugging the other man’s arm off his shoulder. “Rock, paper, scissors.” He held up a fist.

Zuko sighed. “Spirits, Sokka, we’re not kids anymore.”

“Don’t care, it’s the only way to decide fairly.”

You watched this entire exchange, righteous fury slowly burning in your gut. Watching these two adorable assholes go through two separate rounds of rock, paper, scissors and completely ignore you had you fuming. Finally, Zuko slapped a hand over Sokka’s fist, smirking. “Paper covers rock. I win.”

Always an adult, Sokka stuck his tongue out.

Almost quicker than your eyes could follow, Zuko’s hand flashed out and snagged Sokka’s face by the chin. “Don’t tempt me,” Zuko chided gently, his thumb stroking along Sokka’s jaw.

Something other than fury curled around lazily in your insides. “Ok, what the fuck is going on…suddenly ya’ll are acting like clothes are gonna hit the floor, and I’m just supposed to sit here meekly and wa-!” 

For the rest of your life, you would never be able to figure out how Zuko had the hand-eye coordination to still grasp Sokka’s jaw and simultaneously slide his other hand around to cradle the base of your skull. Somehow, he jolted you forward into his chest and slanted his mouth right over yours.  
All the cheesy smut novels you’d read had failed to prepare you for the sensations of butterflies exploding in your belly. Or how brain-dead you’d feel when he took advantage of your gasp and deepened the kiss. You came to your senses when you felt Zuko start to pull away, your own hands flying up to tangle in his hair and keep him where he was. You felt his lips smile against yours, then his fingers tightened in your hair to hold you still while he pulled away anyway. 

“I’m gonna ask you again,” he said, voice deeper and raspier than normal (for the record, that should be illegal.) “Why would watching a movie fuck anything up?”

Sokka couldn’t help but laugh as you blinked slowly at Zuko, clearly stunned and without any words. “I think you broke her,” he said softly, trailing his hand down your neck. You shivered under his touch, your golden eyes meeting his icy blues. “My turn.”

Where Zuko’s kiss had been this side of aggressive, Sokka apparently preferred a softer touch at first. He brushed his lips against yours once, then twice, grinning when your hands burrowed into his t-shirt. The grin disappeared when you yanked him close, bringing your mouths together with much more certainty.

Hours later, after a mutually beneficial discussion (which led to some heavy making out and an agreement to give a relationship a shot,) more making out and a viewing of Galaxy Quest, you all went to bed in your separate rooms. Fumbling around for the stuffed otter-penguin that Sokka had given you for your last birthday, you drifted into dreams; the feeling of Zuko and Sokka’s lips on yours burned into your memory. 

~~~~~~~~~FLASHBACK~~~~~~~~Zuko (13), Y/N (14)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Be careful out there,” you murmured, helping Zuko fasten the ceremonial arm bands onto his biceps. “Remember your basics.” 

His amber eyes flicked up to meet your golden orbs, a single eyebrow raising gracefully. “You sound like Uncle.”

For a moment, professionalism won over your inner fourteen-year-old screaming, “Don’t put up with his shit!” Then the fourteen-year-old stampeded over professionalism like a bunch of buffalo and you stuck your tongue out at the Fire Prince. “Rude! So rude.”

Zuko chuckled fondly at you. “You should really have more respect, Y/N. That tongue’s going to land you in trouble one day.”

“You say that like it hasn’t already,” you replied, handing him the traditional capelet. “But seriously, don’t be stupid out there. Please.”

Before Zuko could retort, the heavy door creaked open, revealing Iroh. “It’s time, Prince Zuko. I will escort you to the platform.”

You gave him what you hoped was a reassuring smile and watched them leave the small room. As you took a deep breath and stepped toward the door, you caught a glimpse of yourself in the mirrors hung from the ceiling. Your frame was petite, but years of martial arts and firebending training had left you strong of body. Grimacing at a lock of long, black hair that had escaped your half top knot, you slipped it back into place and smoothed your traditional Fire Nation uniform. Once you were satisfied with your appearance, you left the room, too. 

You soon found your way into the midst of the crowds that had gathered to watch the young Fire Prince in his first Agni Kai. Swallowing your nerves down, with no small degree of difficulty, you eventually found your father and an empty seat waiting for you next to him. You contemplated finding another place to sit until he glanced around and noticed you, indicating that you should get a move on.

Zhao was silent for a bit, before baring his teeth in something like a smile. “At least the boy will have one battle you don’t take for him.”

Oh, here we go, you thought, grimacing. “That’s my job, Father. Bodyguards are supposed to keep the fights away.”

Zhao speared you with an angry stare. “Well, considering his current situation, we should probably start looking for other employment for you.”

Huffing out a frustrated sigh, you turned away from your father, tension stiffening your shoulders. Never not an asshole, you grumbled to yourself.  
Letting your eyes track across the accumulating crowd, you couldn’t help by notice Iroh moving through parting a small throng of people to sit on the bench right in front of you. Next to Princess Azula, whom you couldn’t be more grateful to have not caught the attention of today. Fire Lord Ozai, however, was conspicuously absent. 

He should be here, you thought, carefully scanning the sea of unfamiliar faces. 

By the time Zuko stepped onto the platform, you had been over the crowd three times, with no success. Ozai wasn’t there. And that sunk a rock deep into your gut. The Prince’s first Agni Kai wasn’t an occasion to be missed…the stands were packed full of spectators. Something’s wrong.

Per tradition, Zuko kept his back to his opponent’s half of the platform as he went through his final preparations. You, however, had no such stipulation and you stared,  
openly, at the empty space. When a tall figure stepped out of the tunnel and climbed gracefully onto the stage, your blood ran cold. 

“Oh, no,” you whispered, unconsciously starting to rise from your seat. “No, no, no.”

A heavy hand clamped onto your shoulder, forcing you back onto the bench. “You will not interfere,” Zhao snarled in your ear, hot breath fanning your hair. “He has earned this burn, foolish boy.”

Your heartbeat picked up speed when Zuko turned and saw his father. Full on panic hit when he fell prone, begging for the Fire Lord’s mercy. Your father’s hand twisted viciously into your hair, forcing you to face the Agni Kai.

But he couldn’t keep your eyes open any more than you could block out Zuko’s anguished screams.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
You sprinted through the streets of Caldera City, dodging most of the random pedestrians. Others leapt out of the way to avoid being trampled as you pelted towards the harbor. 

Azula’s words rang in your ears along with the frantic beating of your heart. “Oh, you’re looking for Zuzu? That’s so sweet, Y/N.” The young princess’ eyes were cold and her smile cruel. “He’s already gone. Uncle Iroh took him to the wharf almost an hour ago! Banishment is immediate, you know.”

You bit back a sob, willing your legs to go faster. There was still a chance. You skidded around the last corner and pounded toward the docks. Two guards spotted you too late, but gave chase anyway.

Only a hundred yards away, you could see a small warship turning to steam out to sea. A scream ripped out of your chest as you stumbled to your knees on the very end of the dock, panting from exertion. 

Next to your father. 

After allowing you a few moments to collect yourself (not that it helped any,) Zhao grunted in annoyance, waving away the guards that were slowly catching up. He reached down and hauled you to your feet, clearly out of patience with you. Placing one hand over your heart and the other wrapped around your neck, Zhao forced your chin up so your eyes met his. 

“This heart,” he thumped your chest hard, “this passion you have. This is for the Fire Nation! Your Fire Lord! Not some foolish boy who will never amount to anything.” 

When you didn’t answer him, but dared to turn your eyes to watch the ship drift away into the sunset, Zhao growled, “Fine. You’ll never forget this lesson.” Suddenly, the hand on your chest flared with incredible heat. You shrieked as your skin bubbled and charred under your father’s hand, trying to jerk away from the pain. Zhao’s hand seized on your neck, freezing you there in agony until he was convinced that the mark would stay. 

Letting you collapse to the dock, writhing and sobbing, Zhao wiped his hands on a handkerchief and walked away.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You woke up screaming.


	3. 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Drama, cuddles, more flashbacks!

The smell of burning skin filled your nose, making you gag as you shot upright in bed. You tore at your oversized sleep shirt, flinging it somewhere, forgotten. Gasping sobs tore from your throat as you searched under your soft bra for the source of the lingering pain, unable to shake the sensation of your skin bubbling under THOSE hands. Elsewhere in the apartment, you vaguely registered the double thunk of feet hitting the floor and bolting toward you. 

The door was flung open with such force that it impaled itself on its doorstop. Sokka was across the room and onto the bed in half a second, his face clouded with worry. In the same moment, your bedroom flooded with light. Zuko had only been a couple seconds behind Sokka, but they were important seconds, as he came in, eyes narrowed, swords in hand.

While Zuko assuaged his suspicions by checking the room thoroughly, Sokka took your face in his hands and searched you over. Heaving cries, clutching at your chest, eyes unfocused…”Sweetheart, what happened?” he whispered hoarsely, rubbing a thumb over your lips. 

The feeling of his hands on your face brought you up out of the wave just enough to start to recognize your surroundings. One slow blink, then another, then you whimpered,   
“S..s…Sokka?”

His heart cracked as a single tear coursed down your cheek, shifting his hand to wipe it gently away. “Right here, babe.”

He grunted as you flung your arms around him and crawled into his lap, one hand coming up to rest over your mid back, the other dropping to rest just above the cottony shorts you’d worn to bed. You clung to him, shaking as the adrenaline slowly bled out of your veins. 

Metal clinked against metal as Zuko set his dao down on your desk. The bed sagged under the weight of a third adult as he flopped onto it, curling around you and Sokka and stroking a hand across your back. “Nightmare?”

Your breath hitched painfully in your chest, the burning sensation on your sternum finally easing away. Sokka’s arms tightened around you, you could feel his breath ruffling the hair around your ear. In…out…in…out. Nice and slow. Focusing your eyes on a freckle in the hollow of Sokka’s neck, you concentrated on matching your inhales and exhales with his, willing your heartbeat to slow accordingly. “Yeah, you could say that.”

Zuko dropped a kiss onto your bare shoulder, humming in understanding. “Well, it’s two in the morning. Do you even want to sleep here again tonight?”

The bastard child of a sob and a laugh tore out of your throat. “I don’t even want to close my eyes.”

Unbeknownst to you, Sokka and Zuko were carrying on a silent conversation over your head. Finally, after a few beats, Zuko’s raspy voice broke the stillness. “Sokka’s bed is bigger than mine.” It was the kind of statement that left plenty of room to refuse, but did you really want to?

Shifting yourself off of Sokka’s lap, you brought your knees up to your chest and wrapped your arms around your legs. Being wedged in tightly between the two men wasn’t nearly as uncomfortable as you would have thought, and offered you a chance to contemplate the suggestion. Lifting your eyes to meet Sokka’s, you asked quietly, “Would it bother you?”

His mouth opened, then closed. Your face was streaked with tears, and the hollow look in your golden eyes made his heart pound once, then again, with something he really shouldn’t be feeling so soon. Lost in that feeling, Sokka took a minute to cycle through answers, tossing out a bunch before landing on, “Nope. I’d rather have you in arms reach if you’re going to wake up screaming again.”

Zuko, perceptive ass that he was, noticed Sokka’s moment of shakiness and hummed in agreement. “We can all pile in together, maybe Sokka and I can help chase the nightmares away.”

Whump. Your body went boneless, sagging over to where you were practically laying on Zuko’s side. He huffed at the impact, rolling over onto his back so you were cradled against his shirtless chest. One hand gently lifting to comb through your hair, Zuko flopped the other hand across Sokka’s front, fingers curling around his bare side. “Not that I’m complaining,” he murmured, “the cuddles are great. But I have a class at 7:45.” 

Five minutes later, your head was pillowed on Zuko’s shoulder, one of Sokka’s arms stretching across your side and Zuko’s waist. Thank the Spirits that Sokka’s bed was a queen; it was snug, but perfectly doable. Once the requisite awkwardness of figuring out what to do with 3 sets of arms and legs had passed, you found yourself enveloped in warmth and snuggles. It wasn’t surprising that you drifted off to sleep as quickly as you did. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Flashback- Boiling Rock (Y/N 17, Zuko 16, Sokka 15)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jolting awake, your chest tight and scar burning, it took a few seconds for you to recognize your surroundings. The salty sea air was replaced by something stale and humid, almost like breathing in sweat. The burn dulled to a faint itch, but brought with it a wave of revulsion. 

No dock…no father…just another day in paradise. You swung your legs over the side of the bed and blinked away tears. A few steadying breaths brought you enough calm and clarity to stand without shaking. 

Splashing tepid water onto your face, you faced the scarred mirror and combed your hair out. Longer now than it had been, it fell in straight sheets to your mid-back. Entirely impractical for Boiling Rock, but tradition is a hard thing to break. Drawing your hair up into a traditional half top-knot, your eyes caught on the reflection of the handprint scar resting on your lower sternum. A wave of emptiness seemed to radiate from it, submerging you, once again, in the memories of the darkest day yet. 

Hands shaking, you managed to snag the leather thong from the shabby dresser and tie up the top-knot, securing it in place. Next came the captain’s uniform, standard Fire Nation pants, a linen tank top and silk vest, tied with a simple gold belt. After a few moments, you carefully arranged each individual layer so that the burn mark was covered completely. Minus the haunted look in your eyes, you were satisfied with the rest of your appearance. And nobody was brave enough to ask any questions anyway. 

Slipping on the leather boots, you left your quarters, letting the door clang shut behind you.

Opting to skip the morning gruel, you headed off on your customary rounds. Checked in with the guards coming off-duty and made notes of any issues (unruly prisoners,   
shirked duties, etc.) New recruits were settling in well so far, although scuttlebutt was that a couple had slipped past her sometimes in the last couple days. 

After an hour or so of searching for the two slippery newbies, you finally caught up with them as they were about to head into the lounge. Clearing your throat loudly, you called out, “Hey! You two! I’d like a word with you.” 

Jogging up to them, the first thing you noticed is that they were very, very young. Possibly younger than you. The slightly shorter one had bright blue eyes that shone through his mask, a fact which you filed away under things to think about later, because strange. The other’s helmet was kept firmly in place, hiding most of his features. 

Sokka cursed under his breath and exchanged a nervous look with Zuko. Spirits, they’d better not be caught already. Turning to face the approaching woman, Sokka was close enough to Zuko to feel his whole body stiffen and hear him inhale sharply. 

For the life of him, Sokka couldn’t see what would cause such a reaction. Sure, she was cute, in a might-eat-your-face-off kind of way. Her golden eyes burned in a way that made his stomach lurch, but he couldn’t help but wonder what she’d look like somewhere else. Away from a prison. 

She was obviously studying them carefully, but it wasn’t until her husky voice broke the silence that Sokka was jolted out of his thoughts.

“I’m sorry I missed you when you arrived,” you said, measuring them up curiously, “I try to meet new recruits as soon as they step off the gondola, but you managed to slip by me.”

Nothing…

“My name is Captain Y/N, I’m second in command to the warden here; so I handle all the things he doesn’t want to think about. What that means for you two is that I’m here to help get you settled in. Has anyone showed you around the place fully?”

Sokka spared a panicked glance at Zuko, hoping against hope that the older teen would pipe up and say something. Anything? But Zuko was rooted to the spot, his eyes wide behind the narrow slits in his helmet. 

Making a mental note to potentially punch the answers to this out of him later, Sokka turned back to you and shrugged. He did his best thinking on the spot anyway. Caution to the wind, right? “We’re kinda figuring it out as we go?” he admitted, scrubbing at the back of his neck nervously. “It’s worked out okay so far, we haven’t fallen in to the lake or anything.”

You blinked at him for a second, then snorted. “Keep that up as long as you can. The lake is notoriously unforgiving. Just, don’t be afraid to ask questions. Somebody will be able to help you.”

Sokka nodded, praying to all the spirits that he knew that Zuko would snap the hell out of it any time now. “Will do. Anything special we should know? Anywhere to avoid? I mean, other than the boiling lake.”

Tipping your head to the side momentarily, you regarded this guard. Something about him was itching at the back of your brain, aggravating your suspicious nature. “Not really…just stay out of the warden’s way. Self-preservation. Keep out of trouble and you’ll do fine. Welcome to Boiling Rock.”

You nodded to them and spun away, determined to figure out why this random new recruit was niggling at your nerves. Or, at least, your body did? Traveling down the corridor and through a doorway, you watched your back disappear into the shadows. Lifting a hand instinctively, trying to reach out to connect with yourself, you blinked as you saw the doorway through your hand. 

Glancing down at your body, you were stunned to find that all of you was translucent. Spirit-like, almost, as you were floating an inch or two above the ground. The sound of a deep whoosh of breath behind you startled you out of any further contemplations.

Sokka slumped for a second. Then he rounded on his companion and shoved Zuko’s shoulder. “What the hell happened to you?!” he whisper-yelled.

The other teen startled at the contact, shaking his head to clear it. “I…I know her,” he stammered. “Sokka, I KNOW her.”

Confusion stamped all over Sokka’s face, his hands flapping uselessly in the air. Finally he pulled Zuko into a nearby alcove and leaned against the wall. “Ok, jerkbender. Spill.”

Zuko huffed in annoyance, his eyes drifting over toward where you’d disappeared. He brought his head back around when Sokka snapped his fingers right in front of Zuko’s face. “Spirits, you’re irritating,” Zuko grumbled. “Fine. Y/N and I grew up together.” He smacked Sokka’s hand away. “Y ended up being my personal bodyguard when we were younger. But I haven’t seen her since the day I was banished.”

Sokka’s eyebrows shot up and he started ticking off numbers on his fingers. “Wait…hold on a sec…She’s not that much older than you…They let a KID guard you?”

The scandalized expression on Sokka’s face made Zuko’s lips twitch in amusement. “It worked really well, honestly. We looked like a pair of inseparable kids. But she was very good at her job, even when I didn’t want her to be.”

Sokka’s head thumped against the wall once, then again. “Ok, well, now what. You know her. It’s not like you’re going to walk around here with your face out anyway…we just have to watch for her. Make sure she doesn’t recognize you.”

Staring down that hallway again, Zuko recognized a part of himself reaching out after her. She felt like home…a home he thought was gone. “You’re probably right,” he admitted with a sigh. “We should stay out of her way. But…” He ignored Sokka’s pointed stare. “But she may help us. Maybe. Hell, she may kick my ass. I don’t know. It’s been awhile.”

Sokka’s head hit the wall again. Zuko wasn’t sure that the wall wasn’t permanently damaged by the Water Tribe warrior’s skull. “Uuuuuggggghhhh, it’s never fucking easy,” Sokka growled. “Serves me right, breaking into a top-security Fire Nation prison.” The younger teen sighed, heaving himself off the wall. Zuko found himself backed up against a wall himself, a fairly furious Sokka jabbing him in the chest. “Just, don’t do anything rash, ok? We’re on the same team, so we’ll figure it out together.”

Before you could do much of anything to process what all you just heard, the room and its inhabitants faded into dark, followed immediately by the strange feeling of being sucked through something too-small for your spirity form. You were then unceremoniously dumped back into a physical body, wearing different clothes and a violently angry expression. Apparently time passes strangely in dream, who would have thought?  
You stormed through the corridors, heading for the lower levels. Your blood was pumping hot and the fiery expression on your face convinced any guards or prisoners to give you a wide berth.

Taking the last set of metal stairs three at a time, you dropped into the cell block you’d been heading for, possibly the angriest you’d been in 3 years. The lone guard present jumped almost out of his skin when you clattered to the floor. But you couldn’t give less of a shit about that at the moment. Your eyes had locked on the taller of the two prisoners mopping. “You…You…ARGH!!!” you growled, stalking over to him and yanking him around. 

Even with all the fury, you still staggered back when you saw him face-to-face. Half of your heart cheered, but the other half shattered. “I thought they were lying,” you whispered, the broken half of your heart winning out and thumping so hard it hurt. “Somehow, the banished prince snuck into Boiling Rock.”

A tear coursed down your cheek, bitter and hot. “I was sure they were lying. But then it clicked…the two “new” guards that I somehow missed.” You jabbed a finger into his chest, hating him for how closed off his face was. “Which means YOU saw ME, you bastard. You saw me, and you said nothing. 3 years, and you say NOTHING!” Your shouts echoed around the mostly empty prison block as you bring your hands up to shove him.

Zuko caught your wrists before you could haul off and hit him, because of course he did. Self-preservation and all. For a second, you both hung there, staring at each other in a frozen moment of time. Your wrists burned under the heat of his hands, but not enough to hurt. Not that kind of hurt, anyway.

Suki backed away from you slowly. “Should we do something?” she asked Sokka softly, watching warily.

“Nah,” Sokka shook his head. “I’m not trying to die today. And that looks a lot like dying to me.”

Suki snorted. 

You watched Zuko’s face go through a wave of emotions, running the gamut from afraid, frustrated, angry, happy…His mouth opened like he wanted to say something, then snapped shut as heavy footsteps came into earshot from the floor above. He dropped your wrists like you’d burned him, pulling away and picking up the mop he’d dropped. You shot him a furious glare, but ducked behind a nearby pillar just in time to miss being seen by Chit Seng.

The hulking man leaned over the railing and muttered something about a cooler? Turning your face to hear him better, you got the distinct impression that these idiots were trying to escape.

Sokka stammered out several strange excuses as Chit Seng pressed. Zuko flatly denied everything. Suki, on the other hand, sucked in a harsh breath and glanced over at you, worry creasing her forehead. 

By the time Chit Seng dragged the entire plan out of them, the trio had already figured out that escaping with him would be easier than trying dodge him. “Fine,” he rumbled, stalking away. “Meet me upstairs in 10 minutes and we’ll get this going.”

For the space of a heartbeat, nobody breathed or even moved. Then, in the same instant, Zuko sprang toward you and you pulled out one of your sai. As one of Zuko’s hands closed around your throat and pushed you back into the metal pillar, your sai found a home in the hollow of his throat. Stalemate. 

“So…”you said, voice breathy from the strength of Zuko’s grip, “you dumbasses are actually trying to escape from Boiling Rock. After you snuck into the prison in the first place.” Your eyes narrowed, but your blade never wavered. “What are you actually doing here?!”

Zuko growled under his breath, careful not to agitate the blade threatening his life’s blood. He searched your eyes, your face, looking for any sign of what you might do if you found out. He found nothing. Shoulders slumped in resignation, he pulled his hands away slowly, taking a tentative step away. “Sokka,” he said, still eyeing you warily (that knife hadn’t moved, “It’s your call here.”

“Can you trust her?” Sokka asked bluntly, his heart thumping pretty hard.

Zuko sighed heavily. “I don’t know.”

No one missed the flash of hurt in your eyes, or the pained grimace your face contorted into. “Agni save me, I just don’t care anymore. Go do whatever the hell it is that you’re here to do, then leave.” The sai slipped back into the sheath. “Good luck, I guess. I’m glad you’re not dead.”

Then you spun around the pillar and took to the stairs before anyone could see the tears glistening in your eyes. You made it most of the way up them before Sokka’s voice stopped you short.

“We’re here to rescue my dad. He was captured during the eclipse.”

Leaving one hand on the railing, you jerked a finger over your shoulder in the general vicinity of Suki. “She’s the only ‘war prisoner’ we have right now, by definition. Pretty much everyone here, though, is here because they disagreed with some aspect of the war. This is where they send problems that they want to have disappear.” You turned just a bit, enough to see the trio out of the corner of your eye. “If your dad is half as much trouble as you are, he’ll be along. Another batch of prisoners are arriving in the next few hours. Maybe he’ll be among them.”


	4. 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's getting real! Bit of background, real talk about fears, tears, snow, frozen Zuko...

There’s nothing quite like slowly drifting back to consciousness while cocooned in warms blankets. Especially when one’s head is tucked under someone’s chin, all wrapped up in their arms. Turns out, nightmares or not, that became your sleeping arrangement from then on.

You spent the remainder of winter break filling up a notebook with everything you could remember about your dreams. The notebook was split so that the odd numbered pages were a narrative of whatever you recalled, while the even pages held notes, observations, even questions about your dreams. 

\------------Weeks pass/School is back in session------------

“Sssssooooo my family has been chewing my ear off about meeting you two. My dad has threatened to disown me if I don’t invite you to our video chat this weekend.” Sokka’s words had been perfectly innocent, and in his defense, he had no idea how big of a trigger family gatherings were for you. In your immediate panic, you had, of course, agreed to sit in on the video chat. But as the week dwindled to five days, then three, then one, then none…the nerves were really starting to build up. You thanked the spirits that you were busy tutoring for the morning and early afternoon, though in hindsight, not dealing with your anxiety regarding the family situation mightn’t have been the best choice.

Years of counseling had always gotten a little bit stuck on this issue…up until the Beifong fostered you in your early teens, you’d bounced from family to family about twice a year. Never had a chance to put down roots until you were 14, and by then, you had a massive chip on your shoulder and an intense hatred of authority. The adult Beifongs were fairly clueless as far as handling you was concerned, eventually confessing that the only reason they’d sought out a foster kid was to give their own child someone else to harass. There had been no love lost at that point, but Toph Beifong, the child in question, had gotten under your skin something fierce. By the second week, she had wormed her way under your armored shell and happily plunked her bony feet down on your heart.

When the Beifongs enrolled you in military school, hoping that the extra discipline and structure would help you flourish, Toph had lost her shit on them, spewing vitriol and obscenities at her parents until you had to step in and calm her down. After all, it wasn’t for forever, and you were used to being shuffled around. 

What none of you had expected, yourself most of all, was how much that school would mold you, help you figure out your path. Your graduation had come with an immediate summons to the Fire Nation war college on scholarship and the realization that your strategic mind and understanding of the social aspects of Fire Nation history might have value in shaping current policies. So you kept learning, which landed you here at the university to finish out your education. 

Finding a boyfriend hadn’t been high on your list of priorities, much less a pair of them. But life has a way of throwing wrenches into the best laid plans, and Sokka and Zuko were proof of concept. Meeting families was a natural evolution to a relationship…but gah. 

The nerves that had been haunting you through your entire tutoring shift exploded into swarms of butterflies when your apartment building came into view. Stopping under the dropping arms of an enormous willow tree, you pondered the option of just meandering around campus and missing the call entirely.  
Unbidden, the hundreds of hours you’d spend in counseling came to mind. Your latest therapist had landed very solidly on the point of trust, and opening up to the people you chose to let into your life. After all, you trusted them for a reason, right? Her voice echoed in your ears. Vaguely nauseous, you dragged your phone out of your pocket and pulled up your texts, swallowing down the bubbling anxiety.

Y: I’m kinda freaking out here…

Z: What’s going on

Y: … … …uuuugggggghhhhh I’ve never met the family of anybody I’ve dated. 

S: aaaaawwwwww honey, it’s gonna be fine. Promise.

Your phone dinged on a separate text thread. 

Z: Where are you?

Your head thudded against the bark of the willow tree. 

Y: I’m hiding under the damn willow tree

The three dots popped up on your messages, indicating that Zuko was typing. And apparently erasing. Then typing again. A fond smile pulled at your lips. After a minute or two of that, he apparently gave up, because the side entrance to the apartment building creaked open. 

Zuko hissed at the gently falling snow, yanking the hood of his sweatshirt up over his head and stuffing his hands into the pockets. “You’re going to freeze if you stay out here,” he grumbled at you, almost too far away for you to hear. 

“Hypothermia might be better than meeting my boyfriend’s family,” you pushed off the tree and slunk across the lawn. When you got close enough, you dropped your forehead right onto Zuko’s chest and let out a bone-creaking groan. His arms wrapped around you and he had the audacity to chuckle. 

“Sokka is a giant polar-bear dog, do you really think he could’ve been raised by people who aren’t similar? Honestly, Y/N, Katara is the only one that comes with any amount of bite. Hakoda might actually love you at first sight and Bato won’t be far behind. GranGran will just be thrilled that Sokka finally settled down at all.” One of his hands came up and brushed the snowflakes out of your hair before lifting your scarf up to rest on the top of your head. Then he pushed you away just enough to tilt your face up. Gold eyes met amber, and for a moment, you were lost in him. 

“But what if they don’t?” you whispered, the rush of emotions building up into almost-panic. “What happens if they hate me? Sokka’s family is so important to him and I want them to like me and“

Zuko’s eyes widened as the words torrented out of your mouth, piling on top of themselves and spilling out everywhere in a flood. Soon enough, the tears came too, and you sank into him, sobbing. “You two are the first found family I’ve ever really had…and I’m terrified to fuck it up, Zuko.”

A cold blast of wind whipped around the grounds, setting Zuko’s teeth on edge. Carefully tugging his phone out of his back pocket, Zuko tapped out a quick message.

Z: Entrance by the willow tree…move your ass

There was a pause, then three dots.

S: ooooooookkkkkkk omw

Phone deposited back in his pocket, Zuko brought his hand up to cradle the back of your head, turning to lean against the wall of the narrow corridor leading into the building. Pressing a gentle kiss to your scarf-covered hair, Zuko turned to rest his right cheek on your head and watched the door. 

It wasn’t more than a couple of minutes before the door jolted open to reveal Sokka, one hand holding his wolf-tail in place, the other on the door, a hair tie firmly clenched in his teeth. Sokka took a second to assess the situation, frozen in place. Then he mouthed at Zuko, “What the fuck?”

“Help!” Zuko mouthed back, flinching as the wind blew snow right into his face. 

Sokka rolled his eyes fondly, taking the hair tie out of his mouth and quickly securing his hair. How he could stand the heat-sucking temperatures in just a pair of snug sweats and a t-shirt was beyond the pale, in Zuko’s mind. And still manage to look hot in the process. Utterly unfair.

By now, your sobs had dissolved into torso-shaking gasps, face still buried in Zuko’s shoulder. A warm hand closed over your upper arm, gently tugging you away. Sokka’s soft baritone rumbled in your ear, “C’mere, babe. Zuko’s about to turn into a block of ice.”

That earned him a swat from his boyfriend on his way back into the apartment building, shivering. Sokka huffed out a laugh that rapidly died in his throat when your tear-streaked face turned toward him. Folding you into his chest, Sokka traced a hand up and down your back, murmuring, “What’s got you all twisted up?”

You hiccupped miserably into his shirt, a few tears dampening the soft blue cotton. A barely-noticeable shake of your head was all the answer you could muster at first, at least until he drew you into the building and plunked down partway up the stairs. Bringing you down onto the step just below him, Sokka couldn’t help but smile tenderly when you sighed and leaned your cheek against his bent knee, wrapping your right arm around his leg. Refusing to look up into his eyes, you focused instead on the braided leather necklace he wore. “Your family is so important to you,” you said softly, sniffling. “I don’t know how to do families…you and Zuko are the first people in my life that have ever really stuck around. I’m so scared to fuck this up.”

To his credit, Sokka swallowed down his first four responses, which ranged anywhere from “It’s going to be fine” to “Seriously, you two really got shafted as kids.” After taking time to really parse together a reasonable answer, Sokka dropped a hand onto your neck, stroking a thumb gently over your pulse. “Ok,” he said simply. “You’re not going to fuck anything up, babe. But you don’t have to meet them today. They’ll understand.” 

His thumb slid up your neck to nudge up your chin, bringing your eyes up to meet his. “Just so you know, though…the second my dad or Bato figure out what’s up here, they’re going to basically adopt you. It’s their nature; can’t stand to hear that anyone grew up in anything less than a brilliantly loving and supportive home.”

The raw honesty on his face yanked hard on your heart, breath catching in your throat. And before you knew it, the darkest thoughts that you thought you’d buried came   
bursting out. “Sokka…don’t you know I’m no good for you? I’m only going to hurt you if you let me…” 

Well, you’d never seen that look on his face before. Anger and frustration you recognized, in the lowering of his brows and the tight pull of his lips. But the next breath he blew out brought sadness, hurt swimming in depths of his eyes. Then, something else settled into his features. 

In one fluid movement, Sokka stood up, pulling you up with him. He dropped down a step so that your faces were level, that weird look still on his face. “If you hear nothing else from me right now, you’re going to hear this,” he said, caging your face between his hands and locking you into his gaze. “This is the first time you’ve ever hurt me. In two months and however many random arguments, this is the first time you’ve ever hurt me. And it’s got nothing to do with you not being ready to get swamped by the tidal wave that is my family,” Sokka saw that fear and sniped it right off the battlefield, but it was his next shot that murdered you on the spot. “It’s that you don’t see how much I fucking love you. I’m not afraid of getting beaten up on your rough edges.”

His hands felt like brands on your cheeks, burning his words into your soul. For a solid few moments, all you could focus on was the frantic beating of your heart and feeling of his hands grounding you. Then… “Oh.” You breathed the single sound out, so softly that he almost couldn’t hear it. “Really?”

Sokka’s eyebrows shot up comically. “I know I’m dramatic, but shit. Yes, really,” he replied, gently touching his forehead to yours. “Pretty sure I’ve been in love with you since the night you woke up screaming.”

When the two of you made it back up the apartment a few minutes later, you could hear clanking around in the kitchen. Zuko poked his head out of the door, hair damp from what must have been a boiling hot shower. 

“I put clothes in the bathroom for you,” he said softly. “Tea’s steeping now.”

Sokka’s hand squeezed yours gently. “See,” he murmured, low enough that only you could hear him. “All you really have to do is look closely and you’ll see all the ways we   
love you.”

You flushed gently under Zuko’s scrutinizing gaze, then walked over and planted a giant kiss right on his mouth. “Thank you,” you whispered, pecking him on the lips again. “I love you.”

A quick smile flashed across his face. “Go shower, softy,” he grinned. “Warm up.” He nudged you down the hall, slipping the scarf and jacket off you as you went.

Turns out that a steaming hot shower can cure a lot of ills, up to, but not excluding, sadness, anxiety and bone-chilling cold. At some point during your shower, Zuko must have snuck a cup of tea onto the counter next to your pile of clothes, a folded note propped up against the mug. Working more conditioner into your hair, you wrapped it up into a floppy bun and secured the whole mess with a handful of bobby pins. 

Zuko, bless the man, had brought you the comfiest clothes you owned. The knee-length maroon sweater dress had a cowl neck and sleeves so long it gave you sleeve paws. He had thoughtfully added the correct undergarments, shockingly enough, as well as a pair of black leggings and fuzzy socks. 

The note was hastily scrawled on an index card. “We’re in Sokka’s room chatting with his family. Come in if you want, the monitor is set up so you can watch and not be seen unless you want to be. Love you-Z”

Well, hell.


	5. Meet the Parents

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter Hakoda and Bato...Hakoda is Dad goals.

CH 5- Meet the Parents

Heart in your throat, you peered through the ajar door. Sokka and Zuko were sitting side-by-side in front of the TV, Sokka’s bed had been dragged off the wall to act as their sofa. His gaming chair had been pushed off to the side, only a few feet away from where you stood at the door, a clear invitation to be present for the chat but still be out of sight.  
Sokka chatted animatedly with what sounded like a small army of people while Zuko sipped from a cup of tea that matched yours and dropped into the conversation here and there. Usually to gently rib at Sokka with a fond smile. 

You pursed your lips, exhaling slowly. Then took another, slower breath. Willing the jumpiness in your stomach to settle, you peeked at Sokka again. The joy on his face was plain to see, and surely people that could invoke such a response couldn’t be that scary…right?

One more deep breath, and you crystallized your will. Fuck the anxiety. Fuck the nerves. For the first time, you weren’t facing a scary thing alone. And surely the expression on Sokka’s face was going to be worth it…

Nudging the door open further, you stepped inside. Still outside the range of the webcam, but well within sight of your boyfriends, both of whom took notice of your entrance. Zuko smiled gently and tilted his head toward the chair. Sokka, who couldn’t hide an emotion if he were paid to, beamed like a ray of sun.

And you couldn’t help but walk over to him and crawl right into his lap, snuggling your face into his neck, mug forgotten on the desk. A soft huff of laughter came from nearby as Zuko snagged your legs and draped them over his, Sokka’s left arm wrapping snugly around your waist. 

“Dad, Bato, I’d like you to meet Y/N,” Sokka said, no small amount of pride singing through his voice. 

Swallowing down your nerves, you turned toward the screen and locked eyes with Sokka’s father for the first time. His face, so similar to Sokka’s, split into an enormous smile, crinkling the skin at the corners of his eyes. And a tiny bit of you fell in love with Hakoda right then and there, in spite of yourself.

“Pleasure to meet you, Y/N,” he rumbled, the warmth in his voice seeping into you. “Sokka said you weren’t sure about sitting down with us just yet, but I’m glad you did.”

The man sitting next to him nudged shoulders roughly. “We’re glad you did, he means. I’m Bato, not that my husband was going to get around to introducing me.”

Sokka felt your breath hitch at the incredibly fond look they shared, tipping his face into your hair and smiling. “I’ve heard a lot about you all,” you said, finding yourself unable to really break away from the screen. “I’m…I’m glad I’m here, too.” 

Zuko’s hands clenched around your calves ever so lightly, running his thumbs along the line of your knee. The heat from his hands sank into you, keeping you grounded without even touching the floor. 

The conversation started to flow around you again, ranging from gentle ribbing to genuine questions, stories of Sokka’s younger years, etc. Eventually, Sokka’s sister, Katara, popped in for a few moments and thoroughly embarrassed her older brother so badly that he boosted you into Zuko’s lap and flapped his hands dramatically at her, trading insults. 

You and Zuko exchanged a bemused expression that quickly faded into faint irritation as their argument continued. After a few minutes of non-stop sibling shenanigans, you looked right at Hakoda and asked, “How in the hell did you not throw them into a snowbank as kids?”

Blessed silence, minus the soft huffing chuckle that escaped Zuko. Katara’s jaw was hanging open, and Sokka, dear Sokka, had lost ALL his words. 

Hakoda and Bato, on the other hand, roared with laughter. “Who says I didn’t?” Hakoda replied easily, slinging an arm around the back of Bato’s chair. “There were definitely days that they shoveled snow for hours just so we didn’t have to hear them argue.”

“Betrayed by my own flesh and blood!” Sokka whispered, pressing a hand to his heart and flopping back onto the bed in a dramatic death pose. “And stabbed in the back by my girlfriend…this is some bullshit!”

The call wrapped up shortly after, with promises of regular video chat attendance being made by both you and Zuko. Just before ending the call, Hakoda speared Sokka with a stern glance and picked up his cell phone, waggling it at his son. “Don’t forget. Stay out of trouble, I love you.”

“Love you, too, Dad,” Sokka grinned. “And I won’t.”

As soon as the screen went dark, Sokka flopped into your lap, and by definition Zuko’s as well, who groaned under the weight. You couldn’t help but smile at Sokka, who was practically vibrating with excitement.

“Got something to say, Sokka?” you quipped, an eyebrow raised curiously.

“Nope!” And he didn’t, in fact, say anything. But he did kiss your breath away. Again and again, until you were strung out and whimpering in Zuko’s arms. “You did great, babe,” Sokka murmured after a few minutes of that. “Thanks for being here. Now where’s your phone?! Dad’ll kill me if I don’t put his info in.”

It wasn’t until later that night, when Sokka was off happily murdering pixels and Zuko was out training, that you were able to stare at the blank message screen. You’d started and erased about five messages before you decided to just bite the bullet and go with the easy option.

Y: Hi, this is Y/N

H: Ahhhh great. Welcome to the family, sweetie. This is Bato’s number…call or text if you ever need ANYTHING. Don’t worry about the time, either. We’re here if you need us.

Your fingers froze for a moment, a flush rising high on your cheeks. Wow…

Y: Thank you. Really. I will. 

Family?   
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
For all their ridiculous planning, you were still impressed that the cooler idea even partially worked. Sure, Chit Sen hadn’t made it, but he’d gotten farther than anyone else ever had alive. So that was something. The burly firebender had been dumped into an interrogation room for hours before incriminating a guard known for picking fights with prisoners. You weren’t exactly sad to see the man tossed into the cooler.

Almost in the same span on time, the Warden had instructed you to “escort” the banished prince to a different holding room. No amount of protestations had gotten you anywhere except growled at, so there you were, nudging Zuko along.

“Why can you not stay out of trouble?!” you muttered, pushing him toward a flight of stairs. 

Zuko huffed, a lick of flame curling out of his mouth. “I didn’t do anything wrong!” he protested, grunting as you gave him a less gentle shove into the room.

“Now, Zuko,” came a flat voice out of the shadows that you would have paid any amount of money to never hear again, “we all know that’s a lie.” Mai stepped out of the dark,   
her black eyes narrowing in fury. Might be the most emotion she’d ever shown…not that it was in any way comforting. “Don’t we, Y/N?”

Zuko’s eyes flicked rapidly between the two of you, seeing your eyebrows raise just a fraction. A weird tension filled the air.

“I’m not here to have an opinion, Mai,” you replied, keeping your voice measured evenly. “I delivered the prisoner per your uncle’s request and will remain here as your guard.”

Mai shot you a harsh look before turning her attention back to Zuko. Walking back and forth behind his chair, Mai growled, “Have you two had a nice reunion? Caught each other up on all the fun you’ve had in the last three years?”

Zuko sighed, his shoulders slumping against the back of the chair. “Mai, I never meant to hurt you. Honestly. I’m trying to save the Fire Nation from itself, but I never wanted you to be caught in the crossfire.”

The knife thrower stopped, incredulous. “Save the Fire Nation? You’re a traitor, Zuko! You betrayed everything the Fire Nation stands for, and you’re going to rot here for it.” A coldly furious expression spread over her face. “I’m sure Y/N will be thrilled, you’ll both be here for a very long time.”

Her eyes locked with yours and a fist twisted uncomfortably in your stomach.   
“Did you tell him your sob story, Y/N? About how your daddy sent you away?” Her lips twisted into a feral, unnatural smile. “Did you tell him about how you can’t firebend   
anymore?”

Your lips pressed together in a thin line. You could faintly hear footsteps rushing toward the room, shouts and alarm bells echoing faintly around the open space outside. Stepping closer to Mai, just so the incoming guard couldn’t overhear, you snarled, “Jealous bitch isn’t a good look for you, Mai.”

Her jaw dropped and she moved her hands into her sleeves. Yours drifted down to your sai sheathes, and for a moment, you were both frozen, animosity sizzling in the air. 

Before the moment could unravel into chaos, the incoming guard sprinted into the room, panting heavily. “Lady Mai, there’s a riot outside! Your uncle sent me with order to take you to a sa-oof!”

Zuko had taken advantage of Mai’s distraction to heave the guard into her, shoving them both into the wall. He sprinted for the door, reaching out and snagging your wrist as he went. Pulling you out of the room, Zuko slammed the door and locking it behind him.

“What in Agni’s name are you doing?” you hissed, tearing your hand away. The furious pounding of your heart wasn’t important, right? “Have you lost your mind?!”

“You can’t stay here!” he snapped, reaching out and grabbing your wrist AGAIN, pulling you with him down the corridor. “Mai’s vindictive, there’s no way she’s going to miss the chance to tell her uncle everything. You have to come with me.”

You planted your feet hard against a door transition, wincing at the wrenching pain that jolted through your arm and shoulder. “So what? I get transferred out of here in disgrace. Big fucking deal. You don’t get to just make decisions for me!”

Zuko’s fist thudded against the doorframe, steam wafting out of his mouth and nose. When he turned to face you, his expression was open and honest, almost painfully so. “Is that what you want? To move from one duty station to another but never really fit anywhere? To give Mai the satisfaction of making your life miserable again?”

Well, fuck you too, bud. That hurt. “So what are you doing that’s so much better?” you snarled. “I’ve spent three years bouncing around the Fire Nation and making something out of the ashes of the day you left. I can do it again.”

“I’m helping the Avatar,” Zuko said bluntly. “He’s going to defeat my father, and I’m going to be Fire Lord. I’m going to fix all this,” he waved a hand at the prison. “But I can’t do it alone…”

Blood rushed into your head, pounding at your skull. Of all the things he could have said, that had never been an option. Shaking your head to clear the fog, you blinked at him. “Huh.” It really wasn’t much of a choice, in the end. The Fire Nation as it stood was rotting from the inside out, and you knew it. You were proof of it, the scar itching under your shirt a constant reminder that you didn’t fit the ideal image of a Fire Nation soldier.

“Ok.”

That night, sleep did not come easy to you. Drifting toward the Avatar on a stolen airship was definitely not how you’d envisioned ending your day. But yet, there you were, leaning on the railing of said airship, taking a deep breath of free air. The moon slipped out from behind the wispy clouds, making your breath hitch on the inhale. It’d been a full year since you’d seen her last…clouds of steam had always obscured the night sky. 

It was a testament to how exhausted you were in general that you didn’t realize that Zuko had joined you at the railing until he spoke.

“So, what was Mai talking about?”

Thank Agni that the airship had railings that came up reasonably high. Any lower than waist-height and you might have been surprised right over the edge. 

“Spirits, Zuko,” you gasped, clapping a hand over your racing heart. “Warn a girl next time, shit!” 

A chill settled over you when you realized that your hand was covering your scar, something like shame licked through your insides. Your face blanched and your hands fell limply to your sides. Zuko, wisely for once, kept his mouth shut and just waited. Silently.

“UUUggggghhhh,” you groaned, turning back to the railing and gripping it tightly. “Is there any possible chance that you’re just going let me walk away from this conversation?”

A slim black eyebrow raised just a bit. He maintained his silence, which was all the answer you needed. “Spirits take you, Zuko, and your stubbornness. Fine. Mai has hated me since we were kids. I think she might use her dying breath to insult me…she could never pass up a chance to be cruel.”

Zuko, being the crown prince of those who hide their emotions behind fiery expressions, recognized deflection when he saw it. “You’re not wrong…I even dated Mai for a little while. But she’s not a liar. So what was she talking about back there? People don’t just lose their bending.”

Your jaw dropped. The absolute cheek of this guy. “Well, then I suppose I must have just imagined your ship pulling away from Caldera City! Must have dreamt up the feeling of my father trying to burn the disloyalty out of my heart.” You spat the words at him, reaching up to your collar to tear open your shirt and reveal the scar. “I haven’t been able to bend since.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   
Zuko nabbed Aang by the elbow, leaning into the Avatar’s ear and whispering, “I need your expertise on something…personal. Can we talk?”

The skin between Aang’s eyes furrowed. “Uuuuhhhh, sure? I guess?”

Satisfied, Zuko led Aang to a quiet corner of the temple, well away from the group. Especially Toph and her seeing eye feet. He sat on a fallen pillar and drew up one leg, studying the younger boy in front him quietly.

“Zuko, you’re kind of freaking me out,” Aang said bluntly, summoning an air ball and perching on it carefully.

“How does someone lose their bending?”

Aang’s hold on the ball faltered for a moment, threatening to fling him ass over teakettle before he recovered his balance. “I…don’t…know?” Aang stammered.

Zuko’s chin dropped onto his knee, his dark mop of hair waterfalling over his face. Sighing, “Do you have an educated guess?”

Biting back a snarky reply, Aang let the ball go and drifted into a meditative pose. Connecting with his past lives wasn’t an option anymore (the fading scorchmark on Aang’s back itched irritably,” but his memory still worked fine. 

After a few minutes of silence, Zuko dropped into his own meditation, realizing that his answers wouldn’t be quickly forthcoming. They shared the quiet space as hours passed, first mid-morning, then mid-day. 

As the sun passed its zenith overhead and sank toward the west, Aang’s eyes sprang open. “What element was lost?” he asked, voice raspy with disuse.

Zuko didn’t reply, too deep in his meditation to notice Aang’s words or the gentle breeze ruffling his hair. He did, however, feel the tiny clump of dirt that pegged him right between the eyes. Golden eyes blinked open and narrowed in the bright sun. Zuko wiped the smudge of dirt away and glowered at Aang. “What?!”

“What. Element. Was. Lost?” Aang repeated, carefully enunciating each word.

“Oh. Fire.”

Zuko watched as one of Aang’s hands lifted, pressing gently against the airbender’s stomach. “I don’t know for sure, but a blocked chakra might be able to cut someone off from their element. I had to accept that I was a firebender in order to unlock my own fire chakra…I had completely walled myself away from the element.”

Zuko leaned against the stone wall, brow furrowed. “Can you tell? If someone has a blocked chakra?”

Aang later privately marveled at how Zuko’s change of heart had so profoundly altered his personality. “Uuuuummmmm, maybe? Someone walked me through it, but I’m definitely no guru.” A beat passed between them, during which Zuko seemed to come to a conclusion and made moves to get up. Aang blurted out, “Zuko, what’s this all about? Are you okay?”

Gaping at Aang for a full half-minute, Zuko only snapped his mouth shut when a bug tried to investigate it. “Me?! I’m fine, really. I’m asking for someone else.” He sighed, rubbing his face with a grimace. “If I can convince her to try, are you willing to help her?”

“Of course,” Aang smiled warmly. The puzzle pieces were starting to come together. 

Zuko thanked him and wandered away, already deep in thought. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~  
You sat well away from the main group. Part of military strategy was understanding your enemy, and even though these people weren’t your enemies…the concept was sound. Observation was best done at a distance. But it didn’t take long for you to realize that this diverse group of people were very much a family. The realization made your eyes burn, so much so that you failed to notice Sokka walking toward you until he nudged your foot with his.

“You can come hang out with us, you know,” he said, dropping into a squat and resting his elbows on his knees. “The only one that bites is Toph.”

He yelped as a tiny stone pinged off his skull, immediately followed by a tinkling voice shouting, “Shut yer face, Sokka!”

You couldn’t help but chuckle as he rubbed the back of his head ruefully. “I’m good, thanks. I need to figure out the dynamic of a situation before I know where I fit.”

Sokka cocked his head to one side curiously. “Man, neither of you ever got to just be kids, did you.” He sprang to his feet and hauled you up, too. “You don’t have to talk to anybody. But you aren’t alone anymore, either. So, you better get to know us, seems like you might be stuck with us for a bit.”

Zuko and Aang were conspicuously absent from the gathering, leaving you no room for a familiar presence to sit with. Your heart fluttered anxiously when Sokka left to sit next to his dad and you failed to notice the flash of mischief on the small one’s face. A crisp flurry of movements later and the stone that you were standing on glided around the ring so suddenly that you damn near fell of it. 

Grinding to a stop next to her, Toph patted the stone floor. “You’re killing me with all the tension. Sit down already.”

Your eyebrows shot up, and the snark slipped out of your mouth before you could punch it down. “Aren’t you a little short to be giving me orders?”

Toph’s lips twitched ever so slightly. A sudden crunch of stone, then an impact hit the backs of your knees, toppling you into a less than graceful plop. “Huh! Would you look   
at that, we’re just about the same height now, huh, Sassy?”

In spite of yourself, you had to chuckle. “You wouldn’t be the first to call me that…”

And for the next few minutes, chatter flowed easily around the group, drifting past you, which was just fine. Quiet observation was always best.

A faint wave of nausea wafted through your belly when Hakoda brought his arm up around Katara, drawing her in for a hug. Hugging your knees to your chest, you swallowed   
down rising bile when the man ruffled through Sokka’s wolf-tail and dodged the resulting slap attempt. Somewhere, deep down, you knew that not all fathers hurt their kids. But experience is a bitch of a teacher, and the scar on your chest started to ache. 

Caught in your own thoughts, you missed that Hakoda was watching you just as you were watching his kids, and him. He’d been through enough war and loss to recognize that you were a walking, talking open wound…he’d seen much the same in Zuko already. 

Sokka’s eyes flicked up to his dad’s face, then trailed across the camp, following his father’s gaze. Crinkling his nose, Sokka whispered, “You’re staring.”

Hakoda blinked wetness out of his eyes, wrapping an arm around each of his kids. He didn’t miss the way your shoulders tightened, or the panic flickering in your eyes as he drew Sokka and Katara in. A soft hum was the only acknowledgement. 

Not for the first time in your life, you felt, intimately, the severe disconnect you had with, hell, probably the entire universe at this point. This little family was completely alien to you. A father figure that openly showed affection to his children, and not just when it was convenient or expected; a blind child who wasn’t coddled or hidden away; people who openly accepted others, regardless of their appearance, ability or usefulness, even. Your stark, emotionless childhood was thrown into sharp relief against the arms open, caring nature of these people. Your heart clenched, trying to steel itself against the rush of emotions threatening to overwhelm you. 

You slipped away from the crowd before the flood of sadness and regret washed over you. A few minutes of aimless wandering found you on wide open ledge, giving you an unadulterated view of this magnificent upside-down city. The hot, late afternoon sun beat down on you, filling you with the warmth that all firebenders crave. Even without your native element, you could breathe easier in the sunlight. Felt more at home under Agni’s eye. 

You fell into your firebending forms almost intuitively, flowing through the familiar motions. Every strike was precise, every kick studied and strong. Even without your fire, your martial prowess was clear. 

Uniform cracking in the still air, it wasn’t until the first droplets of rain splattered on your forehead and hair that you came out of your reverie. You were soaked with sweat, hair clinging to your face and neck. If you’d had more than a moment or two to think about it, you would have been grossed out by it. But instead, the heavens opened up, a warm downpour drenching you. 

Slow claps echoed around the wide-open space, bringing your head around to find the source. Sokka, Suki, Aang, Toph, Katara and Zuko were all standing, sitting, hovering, etc., in various places under the overhang, apparently having watched you for awhile. You flushed, wiping the rain and sweat off your face and slowly walking toward them.

“How long was I out there?” you asked quietly, noting the noodly nature of your legs and arms.

Sokka shrugged, tossing you a waterskin. “Easily an hour or so…we kept checking in on you, but kinda got sucked into watching when you didn’t stop.”

Draining the waterskin gratefully, you handed it back to him and smiled. “Thanks.”

Dinner was a fairly quiet affair, the soft patter of rain lulling everyone into a gentle calm. After cleaning up the meal and taking the coldest bath of your entire life, you went back to your assigned room and slipped on a stolen Fire Nation outfit, tossing the Boiling Rock armor into a corner. Almost feels like turning a page, you mused, running your fingers through your hair to free it from tangles. On to whatever the next chapter is…

Your room wasn’t exactly buried in the temple, but it afforded you a decent amount of privacy to perch on the cot and settle into full lotus. Old habits were hard to break, and even without your fire, you needed to meditate in order to maintain your ability to be a decent human. Just as the thoughts drained from your mind, a knock rattled the decrepit wooden door, almost taking it off its hinges. 

Feeling your quiet evening slipping away through your fingers, your chest heaved with a mighty sigh. “Come in,” you called, pulling up one of your knees and leaning back against the wall.

The door cracked open just enough to allow Zuko to slip through. Even with that slight motion, it wobbled on its rotting hinges. Zuko eyed it warily as he carefully pushed it shut. Once he was sure that it wasn’t going to fall apart, he turned to stare at you. Then he started pacing, making laps around the tiny room. 3 steps forward. Sigh. Turn. 3 more steps. Rinse. Repeat. Every now and then, he would pause and open his mouth, but the words seemed to strangle in his throat. Inevitably, he’d give up and continue pacing. 

After a few minutes of this, the novelty had worn off. You yawned. “Not that this isn’t entertaining, Zuko, but I’m tired. What’s bothering you?”

Zuko stopped dead, blinking at you like every thought he’d ever had just flew out of his ears. 

A tiny curl of concern licked at your insides. “You’re starting to worry me, Zuko,” you whispered, dropping your leg off the cot and tilting your body toward him. “What’s going on?”

He took a steadying breath and dropped to his knees, his amber eyes locking into yours. “I think I may have a way for you to recover your bending.”

For a moment, everything was deathly quiet. Not even a cricket dared to chirp. Your breath caught in your throat. “How?” you managed to croak out, just barely loud enough for him to hear. “Not even the Sages could help me.”

Zuko slowly brought his hands up to rest on your knees, palms facing upward. “I’m pretty sure the Avatar trumps the Fire Sages.”

Your eyes focused on his hands as the tears threatened to spill over onto your cheeks. Your heart was pounding so hard you were sure he could hear it; he was close enough to you that you could feel the heat radiating off him. Swallowing hard, you dropped your hands onto his and nodded. 

And that was how you found yourself sitting knee-to-knee with the Avatar, raging nerves and all. He smiled kindly at you, wisdom far beyond his years shining on his young face. 

The stone courtyard was mostly deserted, everyone but the core group and Hakoda already having taken themselves off to bed. Zuko had taken up a position somewhere between the two of you and the rest of the group, able to join in with the conversation around the fire and also keep an eye on you. He didn’t miss Hakoda’s watchful gaze as it passed over him and you every few minutes.

Aang took a deep breath to steady his own nerves. “How much do you know about chakras?”

You chewed on your bottom lip, wincing as you bit down just a bit too hard. “I’ve heard the word before?”

Okay, Aang breathed. We’re starting from scratch. “So, there are seven chakras in the body. They’re points that energy flows through, like a stream of water. If the stream is clear, the water flows. If something gets in the way, the water can’t pass through.” 

You pursed your lips, mulling over this information. “So what causes a blocked up chakra, then?” 

Aang’s gray eyes met yours, something like regret flickering across his face. A stone sank into your gut…whatever was coming wasn’t good. “Trauma…pain…any big turmoil or   
upheaval in your life can affect the flow of energy.”

A pained breath whooshed out of you and you broke away from Aang’s gaze, unable to keep meeting the openness you saw there. He didn’t look away from you, though, and watched a rush of emotions flood you. He saw shame, fear, grief, self-doubt all wrack you as you fiddled with an imaginary loose thread on your pants. 

After what felt like an eternity of silence stretched between the two of you, you whispered, “How can you tell if mine are blocked?” You watched a beetle crawl around on the ancient stone floor, studiously avoiding the Avatar’s eyes.

Aang shrugged, rolling the motion into a deep shoulder stretch. “I can try reading your energy through meditation…I’m not a guru, so I think it’ll be pretty intense. But I won’t leave you in the middle of it.”

The words slipped out before you could leash them back. “You don’t even know me…why are you doing this?”

Aang’s eyes flicked over your shoulder to where you knew Zuko was sitting, just a few feet away. “He knows you,” the boy said simply. “And you’re hurting. I’m supposed to bring balance, I’d like to help you find yours if I can.”

It didn’t take a long meditation to discover the giant blockage in your fire chakra. Aang breathed out a huge sigh, feeling the energy knotted up in your stomach like a fist. “So, the fire chakra is all about willpower,” he said softly, opening his eyes and watching you carefully. “It takes courage and fortitude to firebend; to wield that kind of power without hurting yourself or those around you. But shame blocks it up.”

You had kept your eyes closed studiously, allowing his words to flow over you like the energy current you hoped your body could allow to flow. But that last comment broke your focus and you began to unravel in front of him. 

“What are you ashamed of, Y/N?” Aang whispered, hating the way your face twisted in agony.

You were able to choke out half a sentence before you were swamped under the tide of memories, “I…I don’t want t…” Tears coursed down your face as images flashed through your mind; the Agni Kai, running through the streets in a blind panic, the hauntingly pleased look on Azula’s face. 

As your tears turned into sobbing gasps, the talk around the fire ceased. Sokka and Hakoda, being of similar mind and wiring, deduced pretty quickly that the situation was degrading. Hakoda’s eyes were locked onto you, but Sokka was watching Zuko, eyes narrowed.

The dam of emotions broke when Zhao’s face drifted into your mind’s eye, a twisted smile creasing his mouth. Searing pain lanced through your chest, like you were being burned all over again. And you screamed through the sobs. 

Zuko was on his feet in half a second and moving toward you, heart pounding. Stronger arms wrapped around his chest and wrestled him back a step. Sokka grunted as the taller teen fought against his grip, snarling. “Dude, -oof-, dammit, Zuko! STOP!” A second later and Sokka was able to hook Zuko’s ankle to push him off balance, dropping them both to their knees. 

Toph winced at the impact.

“Zuko, you have to let this ride out,” Sokka grunted harshly into Zuko’s right ear, tightening his grip as Zuko tried to yank away. “You have to trust Aang.”

You gasped for air, falling forward out of your pose. One hand grasped at your chest as you panted for breath, the other kept you from falling face-first into the stone floor. “I wasn’t good enough,” you wailed, “I wasn’t good strong enough to protect him!”

Zuko went still in Sokka’s grip, body going lax against his hold. Sokka’s could feel his heart pounding underneath his arms.

“I couldn’t save him,” you sobbed, the weight of that day settling heavy on your shoulders again. “And when I tried to….tried…my own father told me that I should never be more loyal to a prince than I was to the Firelord. So he burnt away my sins.”

If Sokka had been paying closer attention to the people behind him, he would have seen the torrent of emotions playing out on his father’s face. But literally having his hands full with Zuko, Sokka startled when his father marched past him. Life came back into Zuko’s body when he realized what Hakoda was about to do and Sokka nearly lost his grip. Hands scrabbling for purchase, Sokka hauled Zuko backwards, practically into his lap, and wrapped his legs over the firebender’s knees.

“Spirits, Zuko, he’s not going to hurt her!” Sokka vowed, wincing as an elbow caught him in the side. 

“That’s what fathers do!” Zuko snarled, tearing an arm free and lunging forward awkwardly. He stopped dead when Hakoda brought you gently to your feet and wrapped you tightly in his arms. 

You were completely stiff in Hakoda’s embrace, so far into your memories that you hardly noticed being manhandled. It wasn’t until a large hand cupped the back of your head and a cheek dropped onto the top of your head that you started coming back into the moment. Time passed quietly where all you could hear was the gentle thump of Hakoda’s heart and the soft puff of air as his breath ruffled your hair. 

Luckily, Hakoda had his other arm around your waist, so he was more than ready when you crumpled into him, your hands coming up and twisting into the soft linen shirt he wore. Your body shook with gut-wrenching sobs.

Given that Sokka still had Zuko in half of a hold, he could tell the second the other teen relaxed and was safe to release. Pulling away, Sokka crouched next to Zuko, dropping a hand onto his shoulder and willing him to breathe. He wasn’t expecting Zuko’s hand to come up to rest on his, but couldn’t ignore the burst of something that flashed in his guts.

Holding you tight to his chest, Hakoda murmured into your hair, “History is filled with fathers who don’t deserve their children.” He felt you calm slowly, the sobs becoming more sniffles than outright cries.

“The Fire Nation doesn’t have a monopoly on shitty fathers,” Hakoda continued softly. “But the trauma you faced doesn’t define you any more than you are responsible for the actions of others. And, in spite of it all, you’re still standing here…you have nothing to be ashamed of. You were a child, and your father abused you. It wasn’t your fault.”

Aang felt the grip on your fire chakra loosen as Hakoda spoke. And so did you…even if you weren’t sure you were ready to face the whole truth behind his words. But maybe you could start? Your fingers tightened in Hakoda’s shirt for just a moment, then you took a deep breath and pulled away. Stubbornly staring at the laces of his tunic for a few seconds, you scrubbed the tears off your face and lifted your eyes to meet his. 

Hakoda smiled softly at you. “The next step is up to you,” he said as he walked back toward the fire. “But you’re not alone anymore.”

That alone was a novel thought. Not alone anymore… “Zuko?” you called softly, searching him out in the shadows. Your heart thumped as you watched him pull away from Sokka, lurching forward as Sokka gave him a not-so-gentle nudge in your direction. Sokka chuckled when the firebender flipped him off along the way. Zuko’s face was drawn, tense and worried, but his eyes were swimming with sadness. 

“I’m here,” he whispered hoarsely.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen when I finish this,” you wrapped your arms around yourself, trying to ward off the fear creeping in. “Please make sure I don’t hurt anyone.”

Zuko swallowed, then nodded. Behind him, Hakoda pulled Sokka up off the floor and wrapped both of his children into a tight hug. 

“I’ll be ready,” Zuko said softly, sinking into a low guard and readying himself to redirect whatever blaze might erupt. 

Two heavy breaths later and you sank into full lotus again, knee-to-knee with Aang. Your fists came together right in front of your stomach, and you dropped back into your memories. Zhao’s face immediately swam into view, but it was Hakoda’s words that you held tight to. 

You watched as the younger version of yourself crumpled to the dock, curling around yourself while Zhao loomed overhead. For the first time since it happened, you found yourself on the outside of the memory, instead of reliving it. Which gave you the freedom to whisper, “I was a child…”

Zhao flinched ever so slightly, but kept berating the sobbing girl on the dock. 

Louder this time, “I was a child, you bastard!” You stepped forward, inserting yourself between your father and your younger self, forcing him back a step. “I was hurting. Heart-broken. Scared! And you just hurt me more…” The knot in your stomach that you had forgotten about loosened.

Zhao’s eyes met yours, a cruel smirk creasing his lips. “You were disloyal.”

“I wasn’t,” you shot back. “I just wasn’t loyal to you, or to him. You punished me for trying to do the job you secured for me, and you burned me for it!”

“Pretty words,” Zhao jabbed you in the chest, right over the scar. “But you don’t believe it here. You know you’re not good enough.”

You looked down at his finger, then flicked your eyes back up to his. A familiar warmth was heating your belly. “You’re right. I don’t. Not really…not yet. But the people around me do, and I think they’ll help me get there.”

The tendrils of warmth bloomed into something else, heating your body with a fire you thought you’d lost forever.

Aang sucked in a harsh breath and scooted away, readying himself for something? “Get ready, Zuko,” he warned.

Zhao’s face darkened, fury pulsing off of him in waves. As he gathered himself to strike at you with a flaming fist, you inhaled sharply and stoked that inner heat, stepping out of the way of his fist and catching in yours. “You don’t get to hurt me again…and I don’t think I need to live here anymore.”

The memory dissipated instantly, filtering away into darkness. When you opened your eyes, you realized that you were warmer than you’d been in years. A giddy laugh burst out of your mouth as you clambered to your feet.

Zuko, not known for his patience, blew out a breath. “Well?!”

You slowly lifted a hand, palm up. If that hand was shaking, nobody said a word. Taking a deep breath, you closed your eyes and focused on that lazy curl of heat. Willing it up from your belly and into your chest, you pushed it down your arm and held it in the palm of your hand. Hearing Zuko inhale sharply, your eyes shot open on instinct. 

A happy, healthy baby flame hovered merrily just above your hand. For a moment, you and everyone else was shocked into silence. Then you were yanked into a hug (breaking your concentration on the fire) and spun around, joyous laughter breaking the silence. 

Zuko’s chest rumbled under your cheek when Aang thumped into him, scrawny arms wrapping as far around you both as they could. Someone taller than you tucked in behind you (Sokka, of course), squeezing you between himself and Zuko. Katara and Toph nudged themselves into the circle eventually.

“You’re all really cuddly,” you remarked, voice muffled by the crush of bodies.

Sokka laughed against your back, his head resting on your right shoulder. “Eh, you guys’ll get used to it.”


	6. 6

Somehow, that night, a mutual agreement was reached that sleeping in individual rooms wasn’t going to be a thing. Bedrolls and blankets mysteriously appeared around the fire, and one by one, the team dropped off to sleep. Mostly.

You were awake still, absent-mindedly twirling rings of fire around your fingers as you lay on your back.

Sokka propped himself up on his elbow and whispered, “You ok?”

You flicked the rings into the campfire and rolled to face him, resting your chin on your hands. “Two days ago, I woke up to just another day,” you said, just as softly. “Now I’m here, and there’s all these people who are super touchy-feely and just…help…strangers…?” You trailed off for a bit, studying the rough bedroll under your hands. “I guess I’m having a hard time sorting through it all,” you gritted out, pulling the words out of the locked-away recesses of your heart. Your golden eyes met Sokka’s icy blues. “Agni, we’ve been so wrong. This whole war has all been our fault, and you still welcomed me in without a second thought. I’m grateful that you two decided to break into Boiling Rock, even if it was a fucking ridiculous idea.”

Sokka swallowed a laugh somewhat successfully, resorting to coughing hoarsely into his elbow. “And just think, I’m the idea guy!” A tiny tendril of warmth blossomed in his heart at the sweet smile that creased your mouth. “But I’m glad you’re both here, too. I think it means that there’s hope for the rest of the Fire Nation.”

You blew out a slow breath and nodded. “I hope you’re right, Sokka. I really do.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Firebenders rise with the sun. It wakes them up, heats their blood. In true firebender fashion, Zuko stretched the next morning and yawned, feeling the pleasant, heated hum just starting to creep into his body. His eyes drifted open and quickly adjusted to the faint predawn light, casting his gaze over the various lumps huddled around the embers of the fire. His gut clenched when he realized that the bedroll nestled between his and Sokka’s was empty, blanket neatly tucked in.

Rolling out of his own sleeping situation, Zuko wandered toward the large stone ledge that jutted away from the temple, running on hope and instinct. The sky was turning a light greyish pink over the cliffs, but what actually caught his attention was the figure meditating on a broken pillar.

“I know you’re there,” you said softly, not breaking your pose. “You’re many things, Zuko, but you’re not subtle.”

He flushed at the jab, grateful that your eyes were closed, but settled into a matching pose next to you. “Rude.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Zuko saw your lips twitch into a gentle smirk. He ignored the tiny flutter in his stomach. “Are you ok?

Your eyes flickered open and you drew a leg up, resting your chin on a bent knee. “I think…I don’t know?” You laughed harshly. “This isn’t anything I thought was possible; I’d more or less made my peace with the loss of my bending.” Your right hand came up, a small tongue of flame dancing on your open palm. For a moment, you were lost in the sensation of dancing fire moving across your skin. “I think it’s going to take time to rebuild this connection, but I can feel the sun rising.” 

A genuine smile this time, Zuko couldn’t tear his eyes away. 

“And that’s enough for now.”

You sat in companionable silence for awhile, waiting for the sun to peek over the clifftops. Just as the first rays spread across the stone far above then, you leaned over and nudged Zuko’s shoulder. “Thank you, by the way.”

Zuko nudged you back, matching your smile. “You’re welcome…I’m glad you came back with us…with me.”

~~~Present Day~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~2 months or so later~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Your phone dinged, pulling your attention away from the Zoom call you were on. Honestly, Poli-Sci group projects were the worst, especially when they were focused on Fire Nation military tactics. Not because you didn’t know the topic, but because the rest of group didn’t. 

Z: Hey babe. Sokka’s chat wants you to hear something. We told them you were busy with a group project, so they’re insisting.

Bless them. Bless them a hundred times.

You: Gimme a sec. Happy to have something else to do lol

You quickly made your excuses on the Zoom call and left the meeting, dropping a couple ideas on where they could start their parts of the research into the chat before exiting. Closing your laptop, you flicked off the desk lamp and stood up. Oh hell. You’d been sitting for too long, your whole body creaked with disuse. You considered for a moment changing out of the dress you were wearing, not 100% sure if you were comfortable with wearing the plunging neckline on stream. Not because you had any concerns about modesty…you really just weren’t interested in answering questions about the hand-shaped birthmark. 

Your phone pinged again. 

Z: The natives are getting restless. They demand your presence. 

You: Fine. But I’m not changing, so they’re gonna get an eyeful.

The floor-length dress swished as you walked into Sokka’s room, the interwoven red and blue threads shimmering under the halo of streaming lights. “You summoned me?”  
Sokka looked like he’d swallowed his tongue. Zuko’s eyes roamed up and down your figure, an appreciative smile creasing his face. The heat of a faint blush crept into your cheeks at the attention. “Ya’ll got lucky. I felt like dressing up, and I also didn’t have a choice. Laundry day.”

A veritable chorus of dings sounded from Sokka’s computer, snapping him out of his moment. “Right. Uh…the chat wants you to hear something. I may have let it slip that you’re a music nerd with a penchant for incredibly old rock music.”

One of your eyebrows arched. “Uh huh…”

“So, the chat made you a playlist of stuff they thought you’d like!” Sokka looked positively giddy, bouncing just a little bit in his giant gaming chair. “But they were hoping that you’d listen to some of it on stream.” 

Huh. You knew that Sokka’s streaming audience had taken to your relationship well, even asking for various Q&A’s with all three of you. But your heart squished just a little bit at the idea that they liked you well enough to create a playlist of songs all for you. “Well, far be it from me to deny the public what they want.”

Cueing up the Youtube playlist, Sokka muted the chat notifications so it didn’t interfere with the sound and turned his monitor away so you couldn’t see it. “Oh man, babe, I haven’t seen them this happy in a minute. Ok. Here we go! Song #1!”

You waited a few seconds before the speakers projected a deep, smooth baritone, “Hello darkness, my old friend.” Your eyes drifted shut as the voice swayed through the room, others soon joining in harmony. Finding yourself carried away as the group seamlessly carried one of your all-time favorite songs, your body unconsciously swayed to the beat. You’d heard Pentatonix before, but this arrangement had slipped past you, more’s the pity. It was flawless. As the song built to a crescendo, you gave it two thumbs up, mouthing the words.

Once the voices had faded away, Sokka paused the playlist and chuckled. “The resounding question is effectively, ‘Well?!’”

“Wow…that was amazing. Just amazing. It’s going to be hard to top that, honestly.”

The chat dragged you through a few more songs, feeding off your thumbs up or thumbs down motions before they landed the finale on you. “I heard there was a secret chord…” 

A hand crept around your back, pulling you into a firm chest. Zuko took your other hand in his, leading you in gentle sways. Resting your head on his chest, you allowed yourself to be carried away into the melody.

Your eyes flashed open when Zuko nudged you into a turn, but instead of Sokka’s room, you were turning in a giant ballroom full of people. Tall columns held up the vaulted ceilings, from which hung tapestries in red and blue. Ancient symbols for the Fire Nation and, in lesser amounts the Water Tribe, adorned the tapestries. 

The room abruptly stopped spinning when you were caught against Zuko’s chest again, but this Zuko wasn’t YOUR Zuko, somehow…His hair wasn’t so long and it was half caught up in a top-knot with a Fire Nation pin stabbed into it for decoration. Wide-shouldered robes in reds, blacks and golds hung to the floor and a thin choker was clasped around his neck. 

And he clearly had no questions about you, if the joyful smile on his face was any indication. 

A flash of blue out of the corner of your eye pulled your head away from the intense amber gaze. Sokka…? Who was also not the same; his hair was longer, pulled into a ponytail with the sides completely shaved? And you recognized ancient Southern Water Tribe clothes, the fur-lined blue fabric was hard to miss. 

Zuko turned you into another spin, the speed of which pulled your eyes closed in spite of yourself. When they opened again, you were back in Sokka’s room, Zuko gently steering you around to the music. Which was lucky, because he was able to catch you when the room started to go gray and your knees collapsed out from under you.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
So, ouch? Apparently passing out came with a side order of massive, skull-splitting headache. Who knew. You steadfastly kept your eyes shut, but you were able to pick out some your surroundings. Like, soft. Soft pillow, soft blankets. Smelled like Sokka. K. You didn’t go far, they must have laid you out on Sokka’s bed after you unceremoniously hit the deck. 

Also, Sokka. Somewhere in the room with you, talking softly to someone. Probably on the phone, since you couldn’t hear anyone else.

“I don’t know, Dad…they were dancing, then she dropped to the floor. Thank fuck Zuko was still holding onto her. I haven’t been that scared in, I don’t know when.” Sokka’s voice trailed off, but you heard him rhythmically clicking a pen. “Yes, Dad. She was breathing fine, no fever, no nothing. I’m telling you, she was fine, and then she wasn’t.” Click, unclick. Click, unclick. “Ok. I’ll call you back once she wakes up and we figure out what we’re doing. Zuko’s fine, Dad. A little shook up, but he’s making dinner. Said he needed to do something other than sit and watch her lay there.” Sokka snorted. “Yes, I’ve checked on him. He isn’t getting overly angsty in the kitchen. I promise.”

Your heart swelled with fondness. No one could ever doubt his heart. When Sokka loved, he loved with his whole being. 

“I need to check her again, Dad. The hospital said to run her vitals every hour or so and make sure nothing weird is going on. K. Love you, too.” A light thud, the weight of a phone bouncing onto the bed near your foot. A sound of Sokka rubbing his face, then the chair creaking as he got out of it. He gently lifted your wrist from where it was resting on the pillow, two fingers resting over your pulse. He held your wrist for half a minute, then placed it carefully back down. Some scribbling, then a beep? The cold press of a forehead thermometer shot your eyes open with a quiet whimper, both actions immediately regretted as the headache doubled in force from the light and sound.

Sokka, on the other, jumped clean out of his skin when your golden eyes opened. Seeing you wince and turn away from the light, he quickly ran the thermometer over your forehead, recorded the number and reached over to flick off the bedside lamp. Blessed darkness enveloped the room.

“Ow,” you whisper, trying desperately to not move, cry, breathe, exist…really do anything to aggravate your already pounding head. 

Sokka made a soft, sympathetic noise and laid his hand on your forehead. His cool skin felt amazing. “Where does it hurt?” he murmured.

Feebly dropping your hand over his, you tapped. 

“K. Gimme a sec, I’ll go get you meds. The hospital said you might have a headache when you woke up.”

You curled your fingers around his hand as he moved to pull it away, bringing his hand down to the pillow and settling your cheek on it. It was worth the pain of shifting your head over, especially when he sighed and carefully climbed onto the bed behind you.

“You know, you’ll feel better sooner if you give me my hand back,” he scolded gently, molding himself to your back. “And I do need to tell Zuko that you’re awake…then text my dad. You gave us all one hell of a scare.”

You sighed heavily, relinquishing his hand reluctantly. “Ok,” you whispered. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Sokka’s lips brushed against your temple. “Damn right. Stay put, I’ll be back with meds and water. And probably Zuko, too.”

True to his word, Sokka was back within a few minutes, setting a cup of water and pain meds on the bedside table. He sat behind you again, stroking a hand over your hair. “Ok, Zuko’s on his way with food, but we need to get you sitting up first.”

“ ‘M not hungry,” you mumbled.

You couldn’t see it, but Sokka’s right eye visibly twitched in exasperation. “Babe, you can’t take pain meds on an empty stomach. Not unless you want nausea on top of a headache.”

Damn the man for his logic. Flattening a hand against the bed, you slowly, painstakingly leverage yourself into a slightly less reclined position. Your head thumped like the bass line during a metal concert, but at least your arms were working. Mostly. You inched your way into sitting upright, at which point Sokka had room to sit on the bed and scooch so his back was against the wall. The two of you worked together to get you situated into a comfortable position, nestled into his chest. 

The bed creaked again as Zuko perched on the end, holding out a cup of key lime yogurt to you. “How are you feeling?” he said softly as you took it from him, holding onto his hand for a second longer than necessary.

“Like my head’s about to split open.” Your voice was barely above a whisper, but you took a small bite, then another. “Tired, shaky, like I’m on the back end of being really sick

He sighed, reaching out and stroking a thumb down your cheek. “Food first, then meds. Once your head calms down, we’ll talk, k?”

You hummed in acknowledgement, getting a few more spoonfuls down. While the food wasn’t helping the headache, it was helping clear the rest of the fog from your body. By the time the cup was empty, you almost felt human again.

“Babe,” Sokka’s chest rumbled under your ear, “water and meds are on the nightstand. I’d get them myself, but…”

Zuko chuckled, taking the empty cup from you and rising gracefully off the bed. “Yeah, yeah. You’re a human pillow. Takes precedence.” 

The three of you settled in to wait for the pain meds to kick in. Zuko crawled further back on the bed to where he was situated shoulder to shoulder with Sokka, linking his fingers with yours. Sokka’s free hand softly trailed up and down your spine, and for the next few minutes the only sound in the room was slow breathing. The pounding in your head eventually receded to a dull thump and looking at the light peeking through the ajar door didn’t feel like knives in your brain. Progress. 

You craned your neck around to glance up at Sokka, who’d been uncharacteristically calm throughout the thirty or so minutes it took for the meds to take effect. You weren’t surprised to find him dozing, propped up against the wall. Glancing over, you couldn’t tell if Zuko was sleeping or meditating, his hand was still in yours. 

Now that you could think without screaming pain, you had time to process what had actually happened. Visions weren’t unheard of, really…I mean, you weren’t a total heathen. Spirits were still around, even if they were much rarer than they’d been in the past. And people had reported spiritual journeys where they’d had unusual experiences. But in all your research (History major, for crying out loud,) never had you run across anyone who reported anything like this. 

The finer details of the room had already been eaten up by the time you’d spent unconscious, but you suddenly had a driving urge to sketch the rest before it, too, disappeared. Your journal was on your bed, surely not too far to walk, right? 

Gingerly slipping your hand out of Zuko’s, you pressed down into the bed and hoisted yourself up, scooting away from Sokka. It mostly worked, you got far enough to drop your legs off the bed before you heard “Going somewhere?” Zuko’s raspy voice was laced with worry and not a little bit of irritation. 

Honesty. Honesty is always best. “I was gonna get up and grab my journal. I need to sketch something before I lose it,” you explained, trying to look cute and innocent.

“Uh huh,” Zuko replied, pushing himself off the wall and sitting right next to you. “Y/N, you passed out. In my arms. Less than two hours ago.” His amber eyes bored right into yours. “I can’t put into words what that did to me. I need you to rest.”

Carefully crawling over Sokka’s left leg, you slipped into Zuko’s space, leaning your forehead into his neck. “Ok,” you murmured, feeling his arms come up around you and pull you close. “I’m sorry for scaring you all.”

Zuko huffed out a laugh, running his fingers through your hair. “You didn’t do it on purpose. Just, let’s try to keep the fainting spells to one, yes?”

He held you for a few moments longer, then settled you back in next to Sokka. Your body tucking in next to his brought Sokka out of his doze. His bright blue eyes blinked lazily and he groaned, lifting his head off the wall. “Ugh, I’m too old to be sleeping sitting up.” His spine did a decent impression of a xylophone as he stretched out the kinks.   
Your journal plopped into your lap. They both watched, silently, as you roughly sketched out the grand ballroom you’d only seen for a few moments. The tapestries took a few minutes to take form, and even then, you knew they weren’t perfect. The only part of the dream? that you were sure you’d gotten true to rights was the strange Fire Nation pin that Zuko had been wearing. 

“I saw all this,” you said softly, pencil skating across the paper. The lines slowly came together in an approximation of the fancy, wide-shouldered robes you’d seen. “Right before I fainted. One minute, I was here. The next, I was there.”

Both men watched silently as the images appeared on the paper. You weren’t the best artist by any means, but by the time you were finished, you were satisfied. “I have no idea what it means, or how it happened. But I’m telling you, I was there. I could smell flowers, hear music and laughter, feel the heat of the room…”

You flipped the journal back to the first pages, showing them your notes and recollections. “I thought they were just dreams…but now I’m not so sure.”

Sokka’s head thudded against the wall, startling both you and Zuko. A faint groan tore out of his chest, his face twisting into a grimace. “I need to think about this,” he grunted, fumbling in his pocket for his phone and tossing it into your lap. “In the meantime, call my dad before he loses his shit.”

His tone was far more terse and tense than you were used to hearing. “Sokka, are you okay?” you said gently, laying a hand on his knee. 

He squeezed his eyes shut tightly for a second, then opened them to look directly at you. “Not sure yet. This-“ he gestured at the notebook, “is a little bit of a mind-fuck.”

Zuko, who wasn’t known for beating around the issue, put his oar in. “Is there something you wanna share with the class, Sokka?”

Blue eyes flashed. “Nope.”

Uh huh. You shrugged, trying to kick the unsettled feeling weighing down your stomach and pulling up Hakoda’s contact info to distract yourself.

The call connected and rang once before Hakoda picked up. “Everything ok, son?”

Hakoda’s rumbling baritone warmed your heart. “Hi, Hakoda.”

“Hey, sweetie.”

You flushed. It’d been months since you and Sokka and Zuko had announced your relationship and you still weren’t used to how easily Sokka’s family had welcomed you into their midst. Much less accustomed to the idea of a father figure who greeted you with love.

A beat passed, then Hakoda sighed. “You scared the shit out of us, Y/N. How are you feeling?”

Yeah, you were sunk, a warm feeling spreading in your stomach. “Better. My head isn’t full of drums anymore. I’m on strict order to rest…”

“Good,” he said softly. “Any idea what happened?”

You locked eyes with Sokka, raising an eyebrow and silently asking, “How the hell do I explain this?”

A weird expression settled onto his handsome face, something akin to chagrin? He sighed heavily. “Dad, is Gran Gran around? I think we need to ask her some questions.”

Hakoda fell silent for a moment. “She’s in bed. Can it hold til tomorrow?”

“I…don’t think so,” Sokka said slowly, picking at an imaginary loose thread on his sweatpants. “Spiritual leader stuff.”

You and Zuko blinked at each other, then at Sokka. He very carefully avoided making eye contact.

“Ok…I’ll call you back in a few minutes.”


End file.
